This morning, I was working out in the small gym we have set up in our home, and while I was exercising, my mind was doing a workout of its own. There were a lot of open-ended questions, unknowns, and situations running through my mind—things I care deeply about but ultimately cannot control. As a father, that can be difficult. When you love your children, your instinct is to do something. You want to correct what is wrong, protect them from consequences, point them in the right direction, and help them make better decisions. But there are times when God reminds us that we have a responsibility, but we do not have control over the outcome.
Sometimes God brings us to a place where the right thing to do is wait, pray, remain faithful, and trust Him. That does not mean we become passive or stop caring. It means we recognize the difference between what God has entrusted to us and what belongs to Him.
Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Being still does not mean doing nothing. It means recognizing that God is God and I am not. As a father, I have responsibilities. I am called to love my children, pray for them, provide wise counsel when appropriate, speak truth in love, and live a life that demonstrates what it means to follow Christ. But I cannot make their decisions for them, and I cannot change their hearts. That belongs to God.
This is where I have to be careful, because the enemy is relentless. When I am uncertain, the enemy can whisper, “Nothing has really changed. Everything is going back to the way it was. You need to act now. You need to do something.” And if I allow those thoughts to control me, fear can cause me to move ahead of God. I can start trying to fix things that I was never called to fix.
I’ve learned through my own failures that actions driven by fear don’t usually produce the peace or the results I am looking for. I’ve tried to force situations. I’ve tried to solve problems that weren’t mine to solve. I’ve tried to get ahead of God because I was uncomfortable with waiting. And many times, those decisions created more confusion rather than resolution.
So I’m learning that patience is not abandoning my responsibility. Patience is fulfilling my responsibility while trusting God with the outcome. There is a difference between doing what God has called me to do and trying to do what only God can do.
I can testify to this from my own life: it has often been in seasons of patience, and through complete brokenness, that I have been able to hear from God most clearly. When I have exhausted my own strength and finally stopped trying to control the outcome, I have become quiet enough to listen. In that brokenness, God has shown me things about myself, my responsibilities, and my need to trust Him that I could not see when I was trying to manage everything myself.
As I continued working out this morning, I looked up toward the sky. It was blue, clear, and beautiful, and for a moment, I simply stopped and looked up. I prayed, “Lord, You created the entire world in six days. You spoke, and creation came into existence. You know every detail of my life, and You know every burden I carry for the people I love. You know the questions I don’t have answers to. You know the things I cannot control. You know my fears, my hopes, and even the moments when my faith becomes weak.”
And then I simply said, “Lord, I trust You. Not my will, but Yours. Let Your will be done.”
That is a simple prayer, but it is not always an easy one. Sometimes I want God’s will, but I also want it on my timetable. I want to see the answer today. I want to see the situation change today. I want to see the people I’m praying for make different choices today. But faith requires me to trust God even when the answer has not yet arrived.
Hebrews 11:1 reminds us that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” That means I don’t need to see everything God is doing in order to trust that He is working. My responsibility is faithfulness, not control.
Romans 12:12 says, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” That is a practical instruction for me. Remain hopeful. Be patient. Keep praying. Don’t allow uncertainty to become an excuse for fear or impatience.
As a father, I want to love my children while recognizing that, as adults, their decisions are ultimately between them and God. I want to pray for them faithfully without allowing fear to dictate my actions. I want to speak truth when the opportunity is appropriate, encourage them when I can, and always keep the door open. Most importantly, I want to live in a way that demonstrates the faith I am asking them to consider.
But I also have to recognize where my responsibility ends. I cannot make their decisions for them. I cannot manufacture repentance. I cannot force someone to follow Christ. I cannot change another person’s heart. Only God can do that.
That is why surrender is so important. Surrender is not giving up my responsibility. It is recognizing the limits of my responsibility. I can pray. I can counsel. I can encourage. I can love. I can remain faithful. But I have to leave the outcome in God’s hands.
Galatians 6:9 tells us, “Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” I don’t know what the “due season” will look like, and I don’t know when it will come. But I do know what I am called to do today: remain faithful.
And when the enemy whispers, “Nothing has changed,” I need to remind myself that I am not responsible for producing the change. God is. My responsibility is to remain obedient and faithful while trusting Him with the things I cannot control.
Maybe you are carrying something similar today. Maybe you are praying for a child, a spouse, a family member, or someone you care deeply about. Maybe you have questions that don’t have answers. Maybe you have been tempted to step in and take control because waiting has become difficult.
If that is where you are, ask yourself a simple question: “Have I done what God has entrusted me to do?” Have I prayed? Have I spoken truth when appropriate? Have I loved faithfully? Have I remained obedient? Have I done my part?
If the answer is yes, then perhaps it is time to stand still.
Not because you have given up, but because you are trusting God. Not because you don’t care, but because you understand that some things are beyond your authority. And not because you can see what God is doing, but because you know who God is.
I want to be a faithful father. I want to pray without fear. I want to act when God calls me to act and remain still when He calls me to wait. I want to fulfill the responsibilities He has given me and leave the results in His hands.
Because my children belong to God before they belong to me. He created them. He knows them better than I ever could. He knows their hearts, their struggles, their decisions, and their future. My role is to remain faithful to what He has entrusted to me. God’s role is to work in ways that I cannot.
So today, I am choosing to stand still. Not because I have given up, but because I am learning to surrender. Not because I have stopped caring, but because I am learning to trust God with what I cannot control. And not because I can see what God is doing, but because I believe He is faithful even when I cannot see it.
That’s my 2 cents today.
Lord, let Your will be done. Give me the wisdom to know what You have entrusted to me, the courage to do it faithfully, and the patience to stand still when there is nothing more for me to do. Help me to pray without fear, to act with wisdom, to speak truth with love, and to trust You with the outcome. Give me grace to remain steadfast and a grateful heart for everything You have done and everything You continue to do. Your goodness has no limits. Amen.
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